Has anyone ever used frosted glass on their windows instead of a black fabric?

[Orndonorg]

If not, do you think they would work to substitute some sort of black fabric? I feel like it would be much less noticeable from far away, with tinted windows too.
I'm mostly thinking of using them at night btw, in daytime people would definitely notice if I was moving around.

 

[Happy Camper]

I think carrying around sheets of glass would be awkward and heavy. Not to mention expensive and breakable.

It depends what you're trying to do. There are solutions for most situations. But glass would be a bad idea.

Edit: Frosted glass would look similar to fogged up glass. Which would make people think someone is in there even if there wasn't.

 

[tradesman]

It depends on what your trying to accomplish. If you are wanting more light inside but some privacy, you could use an opaque non adhesive window film. There are a multitude of patterns available.

 

[Happy Camper]

If you want something lighter in color instead of black, maybe put a thin childs blanket in the back windows. Lots of parents do that to keep the sun off of babies and kids.

I see it every day at some point driving. Won't work for front windows, windshield, and back windows obviously.

 

[maki2]

Several years while I was working on a little motorhome in a storage yard I wanted both privacy but also light to work. So I cut up a plastic shower curtain that had an embossed surface that distorted the vision preventing anyone from clearly seeing what was going on inside. Also it is not expensive and is easy to find in stores.

That would not be suitable for true blackout but it works fine to keep someone from seeing your belongings or exactly identifying activity such as sitting on a bucket, changing clothes, sleeping, etc. of course it is not true stealth privacy. But that is not what I was after, I just wanted relative privacy such as frosted glass provides. The advantage of a plastic showers curtain is you can put it up and compactly store it away and have some daylight coming inside. Waterproof too! They do come in a smoky grey color, maybe even in a frosted glass look. But you would probably have to search online for that color choice.

 

[Tony's Dream]

I made window covers using winshield sun shields. I attach them to the windows using velcro for privacy and black out.

 

[Debrajoy54]

I have used several variations of this product and I just love it! There are so many choices, I even have some white that's on the inside and the back is black so it makes it seem lighter inside that room. No one can see inside, check it out you might find something you like!

 

[Debrajoy54]

It depends on what your trying to accomplish. If you are wanting more light inside but some privacy, you could use an opaque non adhesive window film. There are a multitude of patterns available.

Amazon has tons of that stuff that I have used and I love it!

 

[Happy Camper]

That stuff screams look at me. Probably not what you're wanting.

It does look fun though!

 

[eDJ_]

Amazon offers this adhesive frosted contact film.

Frosted Film for Windows

They also have UV blocking film in an array of silver that can block up to 95% of the UV. You still may want some kind of night time curtains to use with this.

UV blocking privacy film

 

[keebler]

frosted glass might be illlegal in some states.., would be in Virginia.

 

[maki2]

It is not illegal to have a cargo van that only has a windshield, and glass in the doors for the driver and front passenger.

But despite not needing windows in the rear of that type of vehicle frosted glass is not going to be very useful for true privacy In the rear of a vehicle. Most of all it will look completely out of character to all other vehicles. That alone will attract unwanted attention. The goal of being “ stealthy” is to not draw any attention to your vehicle but instead to blend in as appearing like a normal vehicle that has no one in it. Frosted glass will look very abnormal.

It is your choice to make but it would not be a choice I personally would make for privacy in a van or passenger vehicle. Maybe for a bathroom window in a motorhome or travel trailer,, class B van or a camper unit used for a pickup truck; those being frosted actually would look pretty much normal.

 

[user 29855]

Maybe a helpful link.... There is information about every state, along with information regarding moving between states which have dissimilar laws. https://windowtintlaws.us/

 

[afblangley]

There are window films that are opaque- blocking all light. For use in a vehicle, black minimizes noticeability. There is zero visibility, it’s like a solid wall. So it obviously cannot be used on the front windshield or front door windows. The legality of which windows and to what degree they can be obscured varies by vehicle type and by state.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XHXU7P...olid=2YHSJKAX396WM&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

If you can see through a tint on one side, folks on the other side can see through it also, though not necessarily equally. The side with the lowest amount of ambient light can see the other side more easily. I have one way privacy film on a residential sliding glass door. From the exterior during the day, it reflects the outside surroundings like a mirror; at night with the lights on, the interior is clearly visible just as if the windows were bare. Here’s a picture demonstrating the point:


One of my requirements was to have windows all around. It lessens my blind spots when driving and I like being able enjoy the scenery when parked. But there are times when I want privacy. I tried several types of window coverings (curtains, DIY reflectix, window film, WeatherTech Sunshade, and others) in a futile effort to avoid spending $1000+ on professionally made covers. Writing the check was painful, but it was money well spent.
1. They are insulated, helping moderate any necessary mechanical heating or cooling efforts.
2. There's no storage because they magnetically attach to the window frame.*
3. They can be rapidly deployed/unfolded, only a few seconds per window.
4. Almost no light leakage, allowing for total privacy at night with interior lights on.
5. It's invisible from the outside- in conjunction with the 20% OEM tint, the windows just look black, can’t see the covers.
* I do not use covers on the front windshield, driver or navigator windows. I use a curtain to partition off the cab area, because it looks less suspicious than covering the front windows.

I don’t know what kind of vehicle you have, but WeatherTech makes window covers for a wide range of vehicles. Not the highest quality, but very reasonable prices.
https://www.weathertech.com/sunshade/

 

[sithigh]

After actually getting mailed citations caused by another vehicle, I had to choose to drop my easy to remember vanity plates to avoid problems. So I would choose a normal looking window with dark grey blackout panels or curtains that will still allow me to peek out. But no special looks draws the least attention.

 

[Happy Camper]

For daytime you can always use something like car wrap material. Have you ever seen a bus that's wrapped? You can't see inside during the day. But you can see out clearly.

Then get some backing for nighttime.

VViViD One Way Perforated Window Vinyl Privacy Wrap Film Roll Decal Sheet DIY Easy to Use Air-Release Adhesive (1.5ft x 54 Inch) https://a.co/d/g4Giz01

 

[AishaHopkins]

Hey there! Welcome to the forum! I'm new here too, so let's learn together. I haven't used frosted glass on my windows before, but it sounds like a cool idea. I think it could work as a substitute for black fabric, especially if you have tinted windows.